Society's ChildS


Smoking

Cigarettes, a glass of wine, and a good mood: Norway's oldest man, 107, shares his secrets for long life


RT
Wed, 27 Dec 2017 19:29 UTC
pouring glass of red wine
© Isla Binnie / Reuters
While the hunt for the fountain of youth continues, Norway's newly-crowned oldest man, George Melford Nygaard, has shared his thoughts on the secret to a long and fulfilling life without missing out on the finer things.

Following the death of Torbjorn Ovrebo last week, Nygaard officially became Norway's oldest man at the age of 107. He will celebrate his 108th birthday on January 12. In 2017, Norway boasted 945 citizens over the age of 100, reports Nettavisen.

"It's not true that you have to live healthy to grow old. I have eaten and drank what I wanted throughout my life. I was a big smoker until I reached my forties, but I still have to have a glass of wine every day. It thins out the blood. But I make sure not to drink too much," said Nygaard told Glomdalen.


Comment: Despite the anti-smoking propaganda, there are actually quite a number of health benefits from smoking: A comprehensive review of the many health benefits of smoking Tobacco

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Christmas Tree

French police mocked after drug raid involving 24 cops nets whopping 7 grams of marijuana


RT
Wed, 27 Dec 2017 18:42 UTC
french police
© Bertrand Langlois / AFP
A French anti-drugs police operation became the laughing stock of social media, after law enforcement officers revealed on Twitter that 24 cops accompanied by two sniffer dogs were deployed to find just 7 grams of cannabis.

A glorious tweet from the police in Loire-Atlantique, western France, reporting the results of an anti-narcotics operation at the Nantes university hospital, did not go unnoticed.

"Security and drug search operation at the St Jacques hospital - 24 police officers mobilized, 10 people + 3 buildings controlled with the support of 2 dogs - 7gr of cannabis found in the room of 1 patient," the police wrote on Saturday.
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Dollar Gold

Trump administration to unveil $1 trillion infrastructure package in 2018

Diana Stancy Correl
Washington Examiner
Tue, 26 Dec 2017 05:01 UTC
US Congress building
© Eric Thayer / Reuters
The Trump administration is expected to unveil an infrastructure package in the new year, after putting the issue on the sidelines amid other GOP priorities in 2017.

The White House is working to release a roughly 70-page infrastructure proposal sometime in January for members of Congress to use as a cornerstone for drafting the legislation in 2018.

In December, President Trump met with senior administration officials and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., to discuss the proposal.

"The meeting with the president was encouraging and very productive," Shuster said in a statement. "He's a builder - he gets the importance of infrastructure and why it matters for jobs and the economy. Addressing our nation's infrastructure in a bipartisan manner is going to take strong presidential leadership, and I believe we have a president who can provide the necessary leadership and who wants to rebuild our infrastructure to strengthen our economy."

During the 2016 campaign, Trump first promised to deliver a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to improve the condition of U.S. roads, bridges, airports, and other public works.
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Bad Guys

Pakistan and India exchange fire in disputed Kashmir territory, 4 Indian soldiers killed

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Sun, 24 Dec 2017 16:13 UTC
Jammu Kashmir
© NDTV
With most of the Western hemisphere on holiday, another crisis appears to be developing on the India-Pakistan border known as the Line of Control (LoC). The incident started on Saturday, where at least four Indian soldiers were killed, in an exchange of fire with the Pakistani Army on the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir, ABC News reported.

The two sides reportedly exchanged heavy fire in the Keri sector of the Rajouri district, about 222 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The skirmish started when Pakistani troops used automatic weapons, small arms, and mortars to attack Indian positions in Shahpur area of J&K's Poonch district. The Indian army said Pakistani soldiers violated the 2003 cease-fire, calling the attack an "unprovoked cease-fire violation."
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Pirates

British armed forces ban the words 'chap' and 'mankind', order usage of gender-neutral terms


RT
Wed, 27 Dec 2017 17:07 UTC
British military troops
© Jette Carr/ Global Look Press
British soldiers have been ordered to use gender-neutral terms to make women and people from the LGBT community feel included. New guidelines ban troops from using terms such as 'chap.'

The guidelines, found pinned to the walls of toilets at the defense academy at Shrivenham, call on personnel to stop using gendered terms amid fears they discourage women, as well as lesbian, gay and transgender people, from signing up to the armed forces. For example, under the new rules the term 'mankind' should be replaced with 'humankind.'

'Chap' should be replaced with 'people,' 'friends,' 'folks' or 'you all,' while 'unwritten agreement' should be adopted in place of the phrase 'gentleman's agreement.'

Comment: So, the Brits want to boost enlistment by focusing on inane 'politically correct' language that only appeals to an exceedingly small segment of the population who for the most part aren't even interested in military service? Going out on a limb here, but promoting UK troops as genderless daisies doesn't exactly project the image of fearsome warriors. Then again, it's not like the Brits aren't already used to being spineless servants of US foreign policy. If the shoe fits, they might as well wear it!

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Handcuffs

Iranian "morality police" soften approach to "un-Islamic" dress code violations


Sputnik
Wed, 27 Dec 2017 19:12 UTC
muslim woman heels
© Sputnik
Previously, undercover morality police had been reporting on things like "bad hijab," a term used to describe un-Islamic dress by women.

Iranian police have taken a softer approach to breaking Islamic rules, Tehran's police chief Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi said in a speech on Wednesday.

"According to a decision of the commander of the police force, those who do not observe Islamic codes will no longer be taken to detention centers nor judicial files opened on them," the police chief said as quoted by Reuters, adding that the police offered education courses while 7,913 people had been educated in these classes so far.

The current position on the breach of Islamic rules shows a remarkable shift, compared to the stance taken by Rahimi's predecessor General Hossein Sajedinia, who said last year that some 7,000 undercover morality police had been reporting on things like "bad hijab," a term used to describe un-Islamic dress by women.

The data provided by Tehran's traffic police showed that in late 2015 they dealt with 40,000 cases of "bad hijab" in cars when women let their headscarves drop around their necks.

Such breaches were usually punished by fines and temporary detention of the vehicle.

Comment: While Saudi Arabia has only recently begun an effort to clean up their image and moderate their theocracy, Iran has been slowly moving in that direction over the past couple decades. It's the right move, for both of them.

It's funny: Western leaders hate Rouhani, but he's a moderate voice in Iranian politics. It's the same dynamic with Putin. Western leaders should be supporting them. But because they refuse to be American puppets, that's off the table. The American exceptionalists would rather have rabid theocrats or hardcore Russian nationalists at the helm than moderate leaders who put their own nations' interests first. Iran and Russia are lucky to have the leaders they have. Heck, the world is lucky.

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Bizarro Earth

Does the feminist narrative about "toxic masculinity" contribute to male suicide rates?

Liz Harrison
Acculturated
Wed, 27 Dec 2017 19:09 UTC
man sitting by ocean
When Americans think about health care, we typically think about health insurance-not the provision of actual care. We also don't tend to think about mental health care, unless we're embroiled in yet another debate about what to do with people who apparently have profound mental health problems, as in the wake of a mass casualty crime. Pairing the concepts of "toxic masculinity" and poor mental health definitely doesn't tend to happen often, if at all.


Comment: Perhaps that's because men's mental health issues don't factor into the pathological feminist agenda.


We don't tend to recognize the possibility that repeatedly pointing out that masculinity by itself can be toxic could be causing mental health problems for men. The additional problem is that even if that is the case, it's very likely that we won't know definitively anyway -- at least not because of men seeking out more mental health support. Because simply being male is currently demonized, particularly in high schools and colleges, that means young men in particular probably would not seek help out of fear of stigmatization.


Comment: Even if men did seek help, are there programs available to help them or are they primarily for women?


Comment:

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Cut

Historic tree at White House to be cut down

Rebecca Savransky
The Hill
Tue, 26 Dec 2017 13:40 UTC
white house tree
© Jeremy Moorhead / CNN
A tree that has been located on the south facade of the White House since the 1800s will reportedly be cut down.

CNN reported that the Jackson Magnolia this week is scheduled to be taken down and removed.

The tree - which is one of three that are located on the west side of the White House - is too damaged to stay where it is.

"The overall architecture and structure of the tree is greatly compromised and the tree is completely dependent on the artificial support," documents obtained by CNN regarding the tree reveal.

"Without the extensive cabling system, the tree would have fallen years ago. Presently, and very concerning, the cabling system is failing on the east trunk, as a cable has pulled through the very thin layer of wood that remains. It is difficult to predict when and how many more will fail."

First lady Melania Trump made the final decision to remove the tree after looking at relevant documents including those from specialists at the United States National Arboretum, a White House official told CNN.

Comment: Interesting symbolism. The tree, too damaged, greatly compromised and barely held together needs to come down and a new one planted in its place. For a second there, one would think they were talking about the US government.

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Rocket

Flashback Top South Korean war 'prepper' more worried about Trump than Kim, has 20,000 followers prepping for disaster

Nicola Smith and Jinna Park
UK Telegraph
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 18:57 UTC
rocket launch north korea
© KCNA / Reuters
For years, Woo Seung-yep was a lone voice in the wilderness, warning fellow South Koreans to prepare for impending doom. But as tensions with North Korea rapidly escalate, he is no longer mocked.

Mr Woo, 44, has become the face of the South's war preppers, a growing band of urban-disaster specialists who keep survival bags laden with essentials that they can grab at a moment's notice to one of the country's many nuclear fallout shelters.

In recent months he has seen a surge in interest in his online forum, Survival 21, founded in 2010 to discuss how to stay alive during war, disaster or nuclear holocaust.

Close to 20,000, among them teenagers, old people, business executives, professors and students, have now signed up.

"Many members profess their worries," the former office worker told The Telegraph in an interview. "The main question today is 'will a war break out in Korea? And if so, when would that be?'"

Mr Woo, who has advised on a government awareness manual, tells his followers to keep a survival pack stocked at all times and to know where to run to if conflict breaks out.

Comment: A war with North Korea would be disastrous. Given U.S. rhetoric, it's no wonder South Koreans are prepping for the worst. Who can blame them? They're the ones on the front lines, so to speak.

After nearly a year in office, Trump has yet to pre-emptively strike North Korea. Can he go another year? He'd better watch out: if he keeps this up, other nations will get the idea that he doesn't actually want to start any wars...

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Handcuffs

Sisters, aged 4 and 6, found dead in an Oak Bay, B.C. apartment — father arrested

Joseph Ruttle
National Post
Wed, 27 Dec 2017 18:56 UTC
Andrew Berry had the children on Christmas morning but did not return them to their mother when he was supposed to, friends said

Chloe Berry and Aubey
© Victoria Times ColonistChloe Berry, 6, left, and her four-year-old sister Aubrey were found dead by police on Christmas Day.
Two sisters, ages four and six, have been found dead in Oak Bay and their father is in police custody.

The bodies of Chloe Berry, six, and Aubrey Berry, four, were found by police on Christmas Day in a ground-floor apartment at 1400 Beach Dr. Their father, Andrew Berry, 43, was taken to hospital, under police guard, with self-inflicted wounds. He was found by officers after they entered the apartment searching for the girls.
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